


Just to Fly

by hakaseheart



Category: Kamen Rider OOO
Genre: Gen, WriteBet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-16
Updated: 2014-07-16
Packaged: 2018-02-09 21:09:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1997901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hakaseheart/pseuds/hakaseheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The feeling of falling terrified him, once.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just to Fly

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kitarin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitarin/gifts).



For a moment there was ground under his feet, dirt solidly at his heel.

Then, there was nothing.

The feeling of falling terrified him, once.

When he was four, his father had seen to having a large treehouse built in their backyard. It'd been a bit much for him, but he'd struggled up the rope ladder and reached the house at the top with a triumphant cry. He'd played up there for hours, until the sun had started to set and one of the maids had called him back inside. With the sky darkening and the rope ladder swaying in the breeze, he'd only descended two rungs before slipping and falling the remaining dozen feet to the ground below.

He remembered the rush of wind around him, even though it'd only lasted a split second before his back slammed against the cool earth below. The pain was enough to make him not want to repeat the experience, and it was another week before his father was able to coax – well, harass – him back into the treehouse again.

Years later, in the second year of high school, his friends goaded him up onto the top of the field house by the athletic field. It'd been the middle of the night, and they'd stacked crates in a pile until they were able to climb up onto the roof. They spent a few hours up there, lying on their backs and staring up at the stars, sharing their hopes and fears and thoughts for the future. He could remember the cool breeze on their faces, the twinkling of the stars as they pointed out constellations they couldn't quite recall.

Then they went to climb back down, and he'd tripped, right at the edge. Again he fell, his mind flashing back to the treehouse and the rushing wind, and then his side hit the crates and pain cut through the memory. Most of his friends scattered, but one remained to pull him to the hospital. He was fine, just a few bruises and a cut, but he was in so much trouble he wasn't allowed out of the house for a month.

The third time he'd fallen, he'd suspected he'd found a fascination for it. It was when rock climbing during his travels, with a group of village boys who just wanted to show him the best view for miles. They'd all climbed without any sort of ropes or gear, the boys so used to the rocky outcroppings that they quickly outstripped him, waiting at the top of each plateau to cheer him on.

The view had been worth the climb, by far. But then it was time to go back and eat, and on the second plateau he'd slipped, the sandy dirt sliding out from under his foot. For a moment he'd teetered on the edge, hearing the cries from the boys in a language he still couldn't quite understand. Then the air had embraced him once again, and he remembered wondering if he'd survive the fall enough to take up skydiving in the future.

A tree had saved him that time, its branches spreading out over the edge of the rock and catching him soundly in a nest of leaves and twigs. There was a shout of happy surprise above him, and he'd gripped the branches tightly, not sure if he was happy for the save or upset the fall had been interrupted.

But this time there was no tree, no crates, no earth only twelve feet away. He kept falling, knowing that the ground beneath him would show him no mercy. If he hit it, that was it. He would never have the chance to fall again. So he savored it, letting his eyes slide closed, feeling the wind as it whipped through his clothes, cradling him down to his death.

Then strong arms wrapped around him, holding him tight, holding him close. He gasped, lightly, but let his eyes stay shut for a moment more before finally opening them. Ruby wings spread out against the sky around him, tipped with gold and emerald, all glowing with a familiar warmth that he loved.

“Oi, you alive?” came the annoyed voice, and Eiji grinned.

“Yeah,” he replied, reaching up to wrap his arms loosely around Ankh's neck. “Thanks for the save.”

Ankh snorted, but kept them flying through the air. “The way you fight, almost feels like you  _want_ to die sometimes.”

For a moment Eiji frowned, then shook his head. “Not at all,” he finally said, his eyes coasting back to the sky. “I'm happy enough just to fly.”


End file.
